When a parasite is to be removed from the skin of a host, such as a human being or other animal, an extremely important consideration is preventing infection of the host and the person removing the parasite by infectious agents within the parasite. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease are two common examples of infectious agents which can be transmitted by the parasite. The problems associated with preventing infection are common to many different types of parasites. Consequently, the discussion of these problems hereafter as they relate to ticks, for example, will be instructive as to all parasites generally and will serve to illustrate the precautions necessary to guard against infection by the many other types parasites.
After a tick has attached itself to the skin of a host, the tick secretes an adherent cement to secure itself to the host's skin, but several hours may elapse before infectious agents are transmitted into the host. During this time, if the tick can be removed, the chances of infection are greatly reduced. Therefore, removal of the tick needs to be done quickly, and any means for so doing should be readily available and easy to use.
Complete removal of the tick from the host is also critical. It is necessary, therefore, in addition to removing the tick from the host's skin, to remove the tick mouth parts imbedded in the skin and may remove the adherent cement secreted adjacent the mouth for attaching the tick to the skin. Removal of the body of the tick, the mouth of the tick, and the adherent cement is the safest way to prevent infection. In addition, removal of the tick should be methodically accomplished without irritating the tick. Squeezing, crushing, or bending the tick during removal may irritate the tick, thereby stimulating the tick to undesirably transmit infectious agents into the host, onto the host's skin, and/or onto the hands of the person removing the tick.
Prior art methods and apparatus for removing ticks from a host are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,213,460, 4,442,837, 4,938,764, and 4,976,718, which are incorporated by reference as if set forth in full hereinbelow. However, the parasite removers described in the foregoing prior art patents are undesirably elaborate and complex in design, and therefore are generally expensive. Furthermore, the prior art removers often squeeze, crush, bend, or otherwise damage parasites as the parasites are pulled from the host's skin, thereby irritating the tick to secrete infectious fluids and/or leaving tick mouth parts imbedded in the skin.
Thus, a need exists for a parasite remover which is simple in design, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which can completely remove a parasite from a host in an efficient, nonirritating manner, thereby preventing infection of both the host and the person removing the parasite.